People have been permitted to walk to the summit of Cairn Gorm from the top station of the mountain's funicular railway under a trial scheme.

Until now, the access was not allowed outside the winter snowsports season, unless visitors were accompanied by a guide.

The restriction was put in place to protect fragile habitats on the 4,085ft (1,245m) summit of the UK's sixth highest mountain.

Permission has been given for a trial until 30 November, and visitors will be asked to keep to paths while carrying GPS handsets to check they remain within an "approved zone" in the mountain's ski area.

The handsets alert visitors if they wander outside the zone.

The devices also send a notification to rangers based at the Cairngorm Mountain resort where the top station is located.

NatureScot, Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) granted permission for the trial.

The funicular railway carries visitors to the Ptarmigan Top Station at a height of 3,599ft (1.097m).

Planning rules restricting access to the summit were put in place to protect nearby internationally designated conservation sites, which are home to birds such as dotterel and ptarmigan.

Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited said the trial would be done "carefully".

Chief executive Mike Gifford said: "Over the last three decades, significant work has gone into restoring, re-vegetating and maintaining the paths across the Cairngorm Estate.

"This trial provides an opportunity to build a robust, evidence-based understanding of visitor behaviour and the potential implications of increased access."

Last month, Cairngorm Mountain said a strong winter sports season and the return of its funicular railway helped it to increase its annual turnover to almost £6m.

It also reduced its reliance on revenue funding from HIE, with the support falling from more than £2.5m in 2024-25 to £531,000 in 2025-26.

Public body HIE owns the resort near Aviemore.